


Take My Hand

by rosy_cheeks



Category: EXID (Band), EXO (Band), Mamamoo, SHINee, Super Junior, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS, 소녀시대 | Girls' Generation | SNSD
Genre: Apocalypse, Character Deaths, Probably some angst, Zombie Apocalypse, ages have been switched around
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-04-20 05:39:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14254179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosy_cheeks/pseuds/rosy_cheeks
Summary: Park Chanyeol has been hiding in the woods from the zombies for three-and-a-half years. It isn't until an unlikely attack that he and his old friends at the farm nearby are driven out of the forest and into the city where danger lurks around every corner. When he and his friends run into a strange group of travelers who call themselves Sunflower, Chanyeol finds himself on a journey to the only known safe point in Korea. Unfortunately, running from zombies isn't the only struggle they must face. A group of lunatics driven insane from their unknown mission have set their sights on Sunflower.With all that's happening and the loss of his best friend looming over him, Chanyeol's faith and trust has diminished. It's only until he meets Byun Baekhyun, a orphan who's been travelling with Sunflower since the beginning, does he find the power to keep moving.





	1. Chapter 1

The air was cold. Chanyeol could see his breath. His hands were beginning to turn numb after a long day of hunting and his bow needed to be restrung. He quietly pulled an arrow out of the clean side of his quiver and positioned it perfectly on his bow. Carefully, he pulled back on the string, aimed, and let the arrow fly, cutting straight through the neck of the zombie that stood before him. The creature slowly dropped to its knees then fell face first into the hard dirt. Chanyeol creeped over the pile of rotting flesh and retrieved the arrow from its neck, placing it in the dirty side of his quiver. 

He heard a rustle coming from the trees to his left. Chanyeol moved to the bushes and gazed out at the trees. A deer trotted calmly in front of him, signaling Chanyeol to draw another arrow. He was about to let it go when he saw three small deer running up behind their parent. Chanyeol lowered his weapon and smiled fondly at the sight. Instead he aimed his arrow at a squirrel in the tree above them. The creature hit the ground and the deer ran away. He wrapped a rope around the squirrel and tied the other end around a thicker rope attached to his belt. 

“I think that’s enough for today,” Chanyeol told himself and began to make his way back to his hut up the hill. 

The hut was small and had been abandoned for God knows how long with its chipped wallpaper and unsturdy support. Chanyeol had been living there for three and a half years ever since he escaped the city. It had everything necessary to survive and Chanyeol was able to set up a space to make more arrows with the supplies he bought at Jonghyun’s farm. 

Chanyeol opened the chest when he got back and dumped most of his prey in, hanging the rest on some hook above it for the next time he went to the farm. He cleaned his dirty arrows in a bucket of water and stuck them back in his quiver before slipping underneath the piles of blankets that made up a bed. 

For weeks he kept this routine up, until the day he realized he was low on food and winter had just started. It would be too hard to hunt in the cold, so Chanyeol started up the bike he found in the city and refueled it with a gas carton. He filled his bag with extra food and medicine, then walked with his bike for about a mile to get away from the hut so the zombies wouldn’t follow. Chanyeol hopped on when he deemed himself far enough away from the hut and took off toward the farm. 

“Chanyeol!” he heard a call from the dying corn stalks once he reached his destination. 

Chanyeol slowed his bike in the dirt driveway by the front of the barn and looked back to where he heard the voice. He smiled and jumped off the bike. The farm was old and abandoned when the Kim siblings found it and Chanyeol helped them set it up when he discovered his old friends exploring it during one of his longer hunting trips. 

“Junmyeon!” he called back, wrapping the other man in one of his signature suffocating hugs. 

Junmyeon hit his back to tell him he was squeezing too hard. Chanyeol laughed and backed away, keeping his hands on his friend’s shoulders. 

“It’s good to see you again,” he started, “How’s it going down here?”

Junmyeon sighed, but kept a light smile on his face, “We’re hanging in there. Winter is always a rough season for us.” 

Chanyeol chuckled, “I can imagine.”

The two walked up the front steps of the barn to the shop area where Jonghyun usually sat. When they peeked inside the window, the found the man huddled over some crates, digging around for something while muttering about not being able to find whatever he was looking for. 

“Hey, hyung,” Chanyeol sang. 

Jonghyun sat up quick at the sound of Chanyeol’s voice, hitting his head on the shelf above him.

“Fuck,” he muttered, rubbing his head furiously. 

Junmyeon laughed at his older brother hysterically, having to lean on Chanyeol’s barely reachable shoulder for balance. 

“Hey,” Jonghyun whimpered, “It’s been a while.”

“You’ve been holding up?” Chanyeol asked. 

“Barely. You don’t have to keep standing out there in the cold, though.”

Chanyeol and Junmyeon went in and head straight to the living room where a fire was running smoothly in the fireplace. Taeyeon, the only sister of the Kim siblings, was making dinner in the makeshift kitchen by the wall when they walked in. 

“Chanyeol!” she greeted, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, forcing him to bend down a few inches so she could reach. She ruffled his hair as a welcome, much to Chanyeol’s distaste. 

“Nice to see you too,” he mumbled, fixing his hair to lie flat again. 

He took off his coat and hung it on the hook by the back door and plopped down on the couch next to Junmyeon. 

“Is Hani still working here?” he asked curiously, “I remember seeing her briefly last time I was here.”

“Well, yeah. Her purple hair makes her hard to miss,” Junmyeon answered, “She’s here and we picked up another kid too.” 

“Really?” Chanyeol said as Taeyeon placed a plate of bread on the coffee table. 

She took a seat beside her brother and grabbed a piece of bread, “His name is Yoongi. He wandered by here lost and hungry just a few months ago.”

“The kid is only fifteen so we had to help,” Junmyeon added. 

“Hey, oppa!” a sweet voice sounded from upstairs. 

Hani came running down the stairs with a coat in her hand, her purple hair starting to fade and her black roots now several inches long. 

“Yeah?” 

“Is this your coat?” 

“That’s Jonghyun’s,” Taeyeon answered, pointing toward the store window where the eldest brother was located. 

“Thanks,” Hani smiled, taking off to the store. 

“She’s so full of energy,” Chanyeol commented. 

Jonghyun and Hani joined the others in the living room shortly after Hani went to give him his jacket. 

“Well, that’s almost all of us,” Taeyeon commented. 

“I’ll go grab Yoongi,” Hani said and bolted out back to the the coops. 

Chanyeol glanced out the window to where Hani was headed. He spotted a short boy crouched around a group of chickens, cradling one in his arms. When Hani walked up to him, he turned around, but Chanyeol couldn’t get a good look at his face. 

Hani came running back and held the door open for the small boy. He walked slowly and when he came into the room, he stopped at the sight of Chanyeol. 

“Who’s that?” he asked, his voice low and raspy and devoid of energy, completely opposite of Hani’s personality. 

“This is Chanyeol,” Jonghyun introduced, “He comes by every few months to get food from us.”

“Speaking of food,” Chanyeol said, “I brought some meat for you. I thought you’d appreciate it for the winter.” 

“Meat?” Taeyeon said, jumping off the couch. 

Chanyeol led her to his bag by his coat and took out the meat he wrapped earlier that morning. Taeyeon took it greedily out of his hands before he could even offer it to her and ran to the basement to put it in storage.

“You’re welcome,” Chanyeol mumbled, sitting back down on the couch. 

Jonghyun chuckled and slapped Chanyeol on the back, “You’re spending the night, right?” 

“If you’ll let me,” Chanyeol said. 

“There’s no way we’d actually let you go back in the middle of the night,” Junmyeon laughed, “Besides, you’ve been over too many times to even question if you can stay over.” 

Taeyeon brought out the dinner when she came back upstairs and placed it next to the tray of bread on the coffee table. Chanyeol instantly became more aware of the relaxing smell of a well cooked meal, the first he’d had since the last time he came over. The chicken was spiced with the last of the pepper in the stock and the corn must have been the last good batch for the season, which made Chanyeol’s mouth water instantly at the sight. 

“Well go ahead,” Taeyeon said, “Eat.”

The six of them grabbed at all the food they could get, barely remembering to eat with manners, though manners didn’t exactly matter anymore. They filled their stomachs with the last nice meal before spring came again and fell back on the couch satisfied. As the last bite of chicken disappeared into Hani’s mouth, so did the last bit of light from the sun. 

“I’m going to sleep,” Chanyeol whispered, eyelids drooping. 

He grabbed his coat of the hook by the door to use as a blanket and slung it over his shoulders. Taeyeon urged the rest of them to go to sleep too and Jonghyun went to grab some extra blankets from the storage cabinet to give to Chanyeol. Hani and Yoongi dragged themselves up the stairs after taking the dishes to the broken sink and Chanyeol watched them fall into the guest room while Junmyeon turned the corner to his and Jonghyun’s room.  
Jonghyun placed two thin blankets on the edge of the couch and wished Chanyeol good night before following the others upstairs. Taeyeon, however, sat back on the couch. 

“It’s been a while since we really got to talk,” she started, sinking into the couch with no intentions of leaving soon. 

Chanyeol thought back to their high school days. The two of them were classmates in their senior year and grew close. Eventually he met the rest of her family when working on a school project with her. He remembered those days so clearly, hanging on to them, cherishing them. They were a way to get himself motivated on the days he felt hopeless. 

“Do you remember when Kyungsoo got dared to kiss Krystal at our little graduation party?” Chanyeol asked. 

Taeyeon giggled, “Jongin was so jealous. We just couldn’t figure out who he was jealous toward!”

It was two days after that graduation party when news of the outbreak hit. Everyone was instructed to go straight home from school. Chanyeol barely got to say goodbye before being pushed and shoved out the door by the fear-driven crowd of students and teachers worrying about their families. 

“I hope they’re okay,” Chanyeol said in a hushed tone. 

Taeyeon leaned her head on Chanyeol’s shoulder, “Me too.” 

The living room was silent after that. Chanyeol could feel his eyes close and let his head fall on Taeyeon’s, thankful he still had his best friend with him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chanyeol woke the next morning to discover Taeyeon had left his side overnight. He sighed and rolled his head in a circle, trying to relax his stiff neck after sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. Jonghyun came down the stairs with one of his coats to set up the shop for the day. 

“Hey,” he nudged Chanyeol’s shoulder, “Are you leaving this morning?” 

Chanyeol groaned and stood up, yawning wildly, “Yeah, I’ve got to make sure the shack is in the same condition as when I left it.” 

Jonghyun chuckled, “I’ll get some stuff for you to take back with you.” 

Hani came down not long after and made Chanyeol a quick breakfast while he took some vegetables and medication from Jonghyun’s store. 

“This is a thank you for the meat. We really needed it,” he said. 

“Don’t worry about it. I’m always here to help,” Chanyeol gave Jonghyun a hug that lasted a few moments as if to say ‘be careful’. 

Neither of them knew when they’d see each other next. For all they knew, the next time might not ever come. One of them could die and Chanyeol might not know for for months. He made a quick promise to himself that he’d try to come check on the farm more often. The Kims were his only family now. 

He left with a satisfied stomach and a bag full of more than what he knew to do with. He told Junmyeon to look after both of his siblings, knowing he was the most stable in the house. 

“Be safe, Chanyeol,” Taeyeon told him, fingers grazing over his arm, trying to keep him for as long as possible. 

It felt like every time he departed was the last time he’d see them. He forced a smile and told them he would make it back okay. 

“I’ll come visit again soon,” Chanyeol promised. 

He jumped on his bike and tightened the straps of his bag, then took off, the wind flying through his messy hair. He thought to himself about how he needed to cut it again in an attempt to distract himself from leaving his only friends. 

His shack was close to the farm, luckily, and the ride back didn’t take long, but when he stepped up to his door, he noticed it was cracked a bit. There were quiet shuffling noises coming from inside, and Chanyeol drew and arrow before hesitantly opening the door. 

Once he noticed a figure by the wall of his hut, he lunged forward instinctively. The figure turned around at the sound and held its arms over its chest in defense. Chanyeol stopped short after realizing the thing he was attacking was human. He grabbed the man’s arms and yanked them away from his body. 

“Have you been bit?” he shouted, adrenaline still pumping through his veins. 

“What,” the man whimpered, his eyes full of fear. 

“Have you been bit!” Chanyeol repeated, louder this time. 

“No, no I haven’t,” the man replied. 

Chanyeol glared at him. 

“I came from the city. I’ve been wandering through the woods for weeks and I just happened to stumble across this place, I didn’t know you lived here. I swear.” 

Chanyeol sighed in relief and sat back on his makeshift bed, “You scared the hell out of me.” 

The man stared at him, still confused. Chanyeol motined for him to sit. 

“What’s your name?” Chanyeol asked, “Tell me about yourself.” 

“I’m Sehun. Twenty years old. I’ve been living in the city with my family since the outbreak.” 

“Why did you come all the way out here?” 

“They got in my house. We thought the door was locked, but we were wrong,” a tear rolled down Sehun’s cheek and he wiped it away with his dirty jacket sleeve, rubbing mud over his face. 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Chanyeol whispered, “I’m Chanyeol.”

He stuck his hand out and Sehun took it. Chanyeol smiled at him reassuringly and the man grinned back, his eyes still reflecting his journey. 

“You’re safe now,” Chanyeol told him, “Are you sure you weren’t bit?”

Sehun chuckled sadly, “I’d have turned by now if I was. Though sometimes I think that would be better than this.”

Chanyeol scooted closer to him, concerned, and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. 

“That’s not true,” he told him, “If you don’t have anywhere to go, you’re welcome to stay here.”

Sehun looked at him with hope. 

“We’d just have to make you a bed.” 

Chanyeol wondered if he should have been more cautious around Sehun, but he saw too much of himself in the young man. Besides, he told himself, he was getting lonely living alone. He told Sehun about the farm and that he’d take him there soon. He told him about Junmyeon and Jonghyun and Taeyeon. About their life before the outbreak. 

“What was your life like?” he asked Sehun when they had finished and Chanyeol started preparing dinner, “Before the outbreak?”

Dinner would be nothing like Taeyeon or Hani’s cooking, but he made sure to do better than he normally did for his new roommate. 

“I had just started high school in Seoul. The year was ending and I was planning on going to the river with some friends the week after school let out,” Sehun started, “We never got the chance to go.” 

Chanyeol nodded, taking a knife off the hooks above the makeshift stove. He grabbed some carrots out of his bag and set them on a piece of wood on the counter which he used as a cutting board. Sehun continued to tell him about his friends from high school while he chopped lettuce and tomatoes and rinsed them in water. By the time Sehun was done, he’d made two salads, one for each of them. 

“Thanks,” Sehun said, taking a bowl out of Chanyeol’s hand. 

“Eat up” he said, setting his bowl on the counter and going to a chest by the back wall to fetch some blankets. 

The Kims gave them to him when they said they had too many. He took a few out and laid the thickest on the floor next to his bed as a mattress, then threw two more over top. He fetched one of the pillows off his bed and put on top of the blankets. 

“There,” Chanyeol sighed, “That’ll have to do.” 

He went to get his salad and plopped on his bed to finish eating it. 

“Is it mine?” Sehun asked. 

“Of course,” Chanyeol smiled, “Now get some rest.”


	3. Chapter 3

Sehun had been living with Chanyeol for what Chanyeol assumed was a couple months. The winter season was hard to get through as the cold froze over everything. Crops refused to grow and Chanyeol’s stock was running low, but he didn’t have enough food to trade with the Kims. Sehun’s skill with a bow and ax were impeccable, however, and Chanyeol was glad he let him stay. 

“This has got to be the coldest day of the year,” Sehun complained, rubbing soil out of their dirty clothes in a bucket which served as a poor excuse of a washer. The water was splashing everywhere and Chanyeol wrinkled his nose in disapproval. 

“Definitely,” he agreed, setting his hunt on the counter so he could grab some rope to hang it up. 

Sehun peeked up at Chanyeol’s catch and sighed, “Just a squirrel?” 

Chanyeol smacked him on the shoulder, “You should be grateful. I’m sure there are some people who haven’t found fresh food in weeks.” 

Sehun still grumbled at the squirrel on the counter. The last time they’d had anything that wasn’t a squirrel was three weeks after Sehun started living in the hut and Chanyeol was admittedly also sick of eating the same thing every day.

He thought for a minute, wondering if there would be something better to catch up near the farm. Chanyeol was sure he’d be able to camp out at the Kims’ place in exchange for work. 

“Okay, you’re right. Squirrels suck,” Chanyeol said. 

Sehun looked up again. 

“We’re going to the farm tomorrow. I’m sure they’ll let us stay if we work for them.” 

Sehun smiled, “Alright!” 

Chanyeol was still surprised everytime he got a smile out of the younger boy. It had taken him so long to the get comfortable in the hut and having a lasting conversation took some time too. Chanyeol had started to find comfort in the boy. 

The two cooked dinner together that night and ate quickly before packing some bags for tomorrow’s trip. Chanyeol threw some of the food he had caught in one while Sehun packed the weapons and medications in another. They made sure the bike was in a working condition and then went to sleep, throwing several extra blankets over their shoulders. 

Chanyeol woke the next morning from Sehun shaking his shoulders roughly. He had an ax in his hand and a bag already on his back. 

“Dude, why are you-” Chanyeol started, but Sehun slapped his hand over Chanyeol’s mouth, eyes wide and afraid. 

“Don’t make a sound,” Sehun whispered slowly. Chanyeol almost couldn’t hear him, but the sounds of heavy breathing and dragging footsteps was prominent. There were definitely zombies outside the hut. 

He got out of bed and tried his best to avoid the creaky floorboards, shoving his shoes on his feet and wrapping a scarf around his neck. He threw on his bag and grabbed his bow before stepping in front of Sehun to get to the door. 

He gave his friend a reassuring look and hesitantly opened the door just enough so he could see outside. A whole pack of horrible, rotting creatures had surrounded the hut, moving slowly by. They didn’t seem to notice the boys were there. 

Chanyeol took a deep breath and looked toward the bike. There weren’t as many zombies on that side of the house, so it was possible to run to it and take off, but not without killing a few of the monsters on the way. 

Chanyeol turned back to Sehun, “We’ve got to get to the bike. Do you think you can hit a few while I run to start it?” 

Sehun nodded, but he looked horrified. Chanyeol gave him his bow and took the ax out of Sehun’s hand. Sehun nodded again to signal he was ready and Chanyeol took a deep breath before running out the door and to the side of the hut, jumping off the wooden railing instead of taking the stairs.

Sehun shot an arrow through the skull of the zombie standing closest to the bike, then jumped off the deck after Chanyeol. He quickly readied another arrow while his friend forced the keys in the bike. 

A zombie growled in front of them and let out a horrid yelp and it started moving faster toward them. The sound frightened Sehun and the next arrow missed his target’s skull, instead hitting it in the shoulder. He jumped on the bike and wrapped his arms tightly around Chanyeol’s waist. 

“Go, go, go!” he screamed, shutting his eyes and burying his face in Chanyeol’s jacket. 

Chanyeol took off, speeding away from the hut with adrenaline pumping through his veins. 

“They aren’t supposed to get that close to the hut,” Chanyeol said, raising his voice above the engine.

Sehun didn’t reply, but he felt the boy trying to steady his breathing. 

“I think I dropped your bow,” Sehun whimpered suddenly. 

Chanyeol chuckled, relief beginning to calm his racing heartbeat. 

He stopped the bike once they reached the farm, parking next to the Kims’ van. Sehun was still shaking when Chanyeol helped him get off the bike. He wrapped a hand around his waist to steady him and noticed that Junmyeon had started walking towards them. 

“Are you okay?” he asked worriedly, place a hand of Sehun’s shoulder, but meeting Chanyeol’s eyes. 

“There was a hoard of them outside the hut. We barely made it out,” Chanyeol explained. 

“No one was bit?” Junmyeon asked. 

“No,” Chanyeol reassured, “This is Sehun. He’s been living with me.” 

Sehun, clearly feeling better, stood up straight to greet Junmyeon. The two shook hands and Junmyeon took the pleasure of explaining the farm. He led the two inside and sat them in the living room. 

“I’ll go get you some food,” he said, running back to the storage room. 

Sehun sank back in the couch cushions and wrapped his arms around a pillow, “That was too close.”

“But we made it,” Chanyeol sighed. 

As Junmyeon was coming back with a tray of water and bread, Taeyeon came sprinting down the stairs to crush Chanyeol in one of her hugs. 

“Taeyeon, I can’t breathe,” Chanyeol practically coughed, trying to push her off. 

She drew back and sat back on the carpet, locking eyes with Sehun. She turned to Chanyeol with confusion on her face. 

“He’s a friend. We’ve been living together,” Chanyeol explained before Taeyeon could get a word out. 

She nodded and introduced herself and the rest of the house. 

“My brothers and I all live together with two others we picked up,” she started. 

“Where is Jonghyun?” Chanyeol asked, curious about the third sibling’s whereabouts. 

Taeyeon pointed to the back door, “He’s out with Yoongi and Hani. They’re feeding the animals.” 

Sehun tried to look out the window in the backdoor. 

“So why are you back so soon?” Taeyeon asked, bringing knees up to her chest, “Usually you don’t come back until spring.”

“The zombies moved up the hill.” 

Taeyeon looked surprised, “What? But they’ve never come up that far.” 

Chanyeol could only nod, taking the bread off the tray and taking a bite. 

Sehun had struck up a conversation with Taeyeon when the others came back from the barn. Chanyeol smiled at Jonghyun and gave him a hug. Yoongi ignored them and went to the stove to cook while Hani said hello before joining him. 

“You’re going to stay here, right?” Jonghyun said once they were all settled in the living room with a bowl of soup in their laps. 

“Well, I don’t want to intrude,” Chanyeol said. 

“Maybe I shouldn’t have made that a question,” Jonghyun chuckled, “You don’t know if the zombies are still there, so you’re going to stay here.” 

“But won’t that be too many mouths to feed?” Sehun questioned. 

“We live on a farm,” Taeyeon laughed, “There’s plenty of food. As long as you work for it.” 

Chanyeol saw Sehun smile a bit and it was clear he was starting to become more comfortable in the conversation. They all took their time eating and gave compliments to Yoongi for his cooking, which made the boy blush. Hani giggled and slapped him on the back playfully. Chanyeol was in awe of how close they all seemed. 

After cleaning their bowls and handing them to Hani so she could wash them, Taeyeon showed Chanyeol and Sehun to the last spare bedroom in the house. She opened the door to reveal a small, cosy bedroom with a blue and grey rug in the middle of the floor. There was only one bed, but it looked big enough for both Chanyeol and Sehun to sleep comfortably. 

“Sorry I couldn’t get you guys separate beds,” Taeyeon said, scratching the back of her head. 

“It’s fine,” Chanyeol replied, setting his bag by the side of the bed closest to the window. 

Sehun followed after him while Chanyeol stood by the window, peering out over the rows of vegetables growing by the front of the house. 

“Come get me if you guys need anything,” Taeyeon said. She closed the door behind her as she left the room. 

Chanyeol stripped off his jacket and left his scarf on the bedside table, then crawled under the clean covers. He sighed in comfort as Sehun got in next to him. 

“I can’t believe we’re alive,” the younger boy commented. 

“Me neither,” Chanyeol said, letting his eyes close with ease. 

When he opened them, Sehun was poking his shoulder again. 

“Get up, Chanyeol, get up!” he whispered. 

Chanyeol looked over to see Sehun had his bag on again and the ax in his hand. He shot up and went over to the window. When he pulled back the curtains, it was still dark out, but he could make out the sight of dozens of zombies creeping toward the front of the house. 

“Shit!” he exclaimed, “Did I lead them here?” 

He looked to Sehun for comfort, but his friend didn’t look very sure of himself. 

“Jonghyun wants you downstairs,” Sehun said. 

Chanyeol pulled on his boots and shoved his arms into his coat while also trying to get his bag. He jumped down the stairs after Sehun and quickly made his way to the living room where the rest of the group was huddled. 

“Chanyeol, thank God,” Jonghyun gasped, “I thought you would never wake up.”

There was a look of panic on everyone’s faces and Yoongi had a hand bunched around the back of Hani’s coat. 

“Do you have a plan?” Chanyeol asked Jonghyun.

“I do,” the man said, “The zombies are too close to the front of the house for us to get out that way.” 

Junmyeon handed Chanyeol a baseball bat. 

“We can’t go out the back either because they’re already waiting for us there,” Jonghyun continued, “We’re going to have to jump from the roof.” 

He led the group to Chanyeol and Sehun’s room where the window led to the roof. Jonghyun lifted the window open and gestured out. 

“There’s a small patch beside where the crops are that the zombies haven’t gotten to. We are going to have to jump there.” 

Chanyeol felt Sehun shiver from behind him. 

“Remember to roll when you land to even out the landing.” 

Taeyeon readied her shotgun from the back of the group. 

“And don’t use that thing unless you really have to,” Jonghyun finished, eyes trailing worriedly to Taeyeon’s gun. 

“There’s a bag of weapons in the passenger seat of the van,” Junmyeon said, “We’ve got the make it there. Hani, can you drive?” 

Hani looked up hopefully and said, “Yes.” 

“Yoongi, you go up front too.”

He nodded to Junmyeon, too afraid to speak. 

Chanyeol heard the sound of the door breaking down and shifted to look out the window. 

“Crap, they’re in,” he whispered. 

“Let’s go!” Jonghyun shouted, pushing Hani toward the window so she could go out first, “Remember to roll!” 

Hani yelped and climbed onto the roof. Chanyeol watched as she jumped off and toward the patch of land beside the crops, rolling smoothly as she landed. While she sprinted toward the van, Jonghyun jumped off, signaling Sehun to follow. The door to the bedroom began to budge as he was crawling on to the roof. 

Taeyeon ran to the door and pushed herself up against it, trying to buy them some time. Chanyeol, Junmyeon, and Yoongi had made it onto the roof in that time. 

“Taeyeon, come on!” Junmyeon yelled desperately to his sister. 

The door flung open suddenly and Taeyeon stumbled forward. Yoongi tried to get Junmyeon to jump off the roof while his sister shot a bullet through the head of one of the zombies that had entered the room. Chanyeol went to jump first, looking back at his best friend. 

Taeyeon screamed right before Chanyeol jumped off and he whipped around as Junmyeon let out a painful shout. 

“Tae!” he screeched, alerting Jonghyun who was swinging a bat at a zombie. 

Taeyeon had fallen to the ground and a zombie had its rotting hand wrapped around her leg. Junmyeon leapt forward to the window, but Yoongi pulled him back by his shoulder. They watched in horror as the creature sunk its teeth into her leg. Another came up behind her and bit into her arm. She dropped the gun. 

Chanyeol felt tears start to fall on his cheeks when he heard her yell, “Go!” 

He took a deep breath and jumped from the roof, but his footing was off and, forgetting to roll, he felt his left leg give out. Junmyeon was screaming from the roof and Jonghyun had tried to rush back to the house while Sehun was struggling to drag him back. 

Chanyeol limped to the van with tears streaming down his face. Glancing back, he saw Junmyeon jump and then watched Yoongi jump after him. Taeyeon was still moaning in agony when they had all made it to the van. Jonghyun was struggling against Sehun’s hold and Chanyeol went to help pull him into the back of the van. Junmyeon hopped in after them and Yoongi ran to the passenger’s seat before Hani turned the keys and sped away from the farm. 

Junmyeon was a loud crier and Jonghyun had pressed him into his chest to muffle his sobs. Chanyeol felt helpless and couldn’t find the words to comfort the brothers. Sehun wrapped an arm around his shoulder and Chanyeol gratefully leaned into the touch. 

Hani informed the group she was heading into the city with broken words while Yoongi stared out the window in silence. She parked the van by one of the abandoned buildings by the front of the city. 

Jonghyun took a deep breath before speaking, “Hang your coats over the windows. We don’t want anyone to see that we’re in here.” 

He was torn up, Chanyeol could see it, but he kept a leader-like tone as he spoke, his brother still curled up at his side. 

“We should try to get some sleep,” Yoongi said, closing the window over his coat so it hung to cover the window. 

Jonghyun only nodded, leaning his head back on the wall of the van, rubbing circles into Junmyeon’s back. Chanyeol knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep so instead listened to the crickets chirping outside the van. 

After what was probably hours of waiting for sleep to wash over him, he heard a knock on the back door.


	4. Chapter 4

“Shit,” Jonghyun cursed, pushing Junmyeon off of his chest.

Chanyeol sat up straight, rubbing the lack of sleep from his eyes. He turned to the front seat and harshly nudged Yoongi and Hani to wake up. The two shot up immediately, Hani gasping loudly as she did. 

“Sshh!” Chanyeol said, “There’s something outside.”

Jonghyun gently moved toward the back of the van, grip tightening over the baseball bat by his brother’s side. He held his arms out protectively in order to cover the rest of the van when a knock sounded from the passenger side door. Yoongi jumped back, crashing into Hani, who gave out another yelp. 

“Come out,” a voice sounded from outside, “We won’t hurt you.” 

Jonghyun turned to his brother. Junmyeon gave him a nod when another knock came to the back door. Jonghyun inched forward and eased the back door open slowly, hopping down onto the road. Chanyeol watched as he raised his hands up for whoever was waiting outside. 

Suddenly, the doors flew open all the way and the van was met with the face of a boy about Chanyeol’s age with dark, black hair and gorgeous puppy-like eyes. He looked gentle and harmless, aside from the fact that he was carrying a pistol in his left hand. 

“You all can come out,” another voice said, a girl’s this time. 

The woman peeked over the man’s shoulder to look into the van. She was older, maybe in her early thirties with short hair and tan skin. She had a smug grin, but it seemed to be from confidence. 

Chanyeol exited the van first, motioning for Junmyeon and Sehun to follow. Yoongi opened the side door and Hani crawled out after him, too afraid to leave his side. The mysterious man closed the van doors after everyone had gotten out. The group followed him around the side of the van where two more people were waiting. 

One was a man with an average height and high cheekbones. His eyes were lost and for a moment Chanyeol thought he was blind before he moved to look at the others from the van. The other was a young girl with big eyes and a bright face. What stood out about her was that the ends of her hair were dyed pink, clearly faded overtime. She had a bounce to her walk and went over to join the two unfamiliar people by the back of the van. 

“Where did you all come from?” the short-haired woman asked. 

Chanyeol felt the group hesitate at the memory of the farm being flooded with walking piles of rotting flesh. He heard Junmyeon sob quietly next to him and he let the man grab on to his jacket sleeve for comfort. They had only lost her a couple hours ago. 

“Did you lose someone?” the woman said. 

“You can tell?” Chanyeol replied, not able to speak of Taeyeon. 

The woman chuckled sadly, “I think we’re all familiar with what loss looks like.” 

Chanyeol looked at his feet and pulled Junmyeon closer to him. Jonghyun stepped forward. 

“We had a farm a little ways outside the city. It was overrun not long ago.” he explained, “We had no other choice than to drive to the city.”

The woman nodded, “My name is Hyejin. You’ve conveniently parked right in front of the building we’re using as a base at the moment.” 

“Are there more of you?” Chanyeol pushed, curious. 

“There’s about ten of us.” 

Chanyeol smiled, flushed with a new wave of hope. 

“Will you let us stay with you?” Jonghyun asked, “We don’t have anywhere to go.” 

“Of course!” the woman half-shouted. The man next to her slapped her arm to quiet her, “Keep your voice down.” 

“We wouldn’t let you stay on the streets so the rotters can eat you.”

“Rotters?” Sehun whispered to himself. 

“Solar thinks it makes her more badass to give the zombies a cool name,” Hyejin rolled her eyes, “It sort of stuck after a while.”

“Solar?” Chanyeol questioned. 

“Just come on,” the man standing next to the van said, pushing the group toward the building, “We don’t have to talk out here.” 

He walked up to the door and gave a strange, patterned knock. Chanyeol assumed it was to let someone inside know it was them. 

The door opened and a man dressed in black holding a gun met them. He glared at the crowd standing outside. 

“What the hell did you pick up, Baekhyun?” he asked, holding the door while the rest of them walked in. 

“They have nowhere else to go,” Hyejin answered for him. 

“Well, the more the merrier!” another woman approached the group, giving Hyejin a pat on the shoulder. The two were obviously close and the new woman wore a caring yet confident smile on her face. 

“Meet Solar,” Hyejin said, gesturing to the new lady, “She’s in charge around here.”

“Is that your real name?” Hani blurted out. 

Solar laughed and Hyejin answered, “No. This old lady just wants to be cool, so she gave herself an alias.” 

“Welcome to Sunflower!” Solar greeted. 

She was only met with six confused gazes. 

“It’s the name of our group,” Solar said, defeated. 

Chanyeol nodded with a judgemental look of his face. Hyejin motioned for the group to make themselves at home while she set up some new rooms for the group upstairs. The boy who let them out of the van, Baekhyun, approached Chanyeol when he went to go sit by a fire in the middle of the room. 

“You’re limping,” he commented, placing a hand on his arm to stop him. 

“Um, yeah. I think I might have sprained something.” 

“Come with me.”

Sehun turned back, worry clear in his expression. 

“Go with Junmyeon and Jonghyun,” Chanyeol told him, “Make sure they’re okay.” 

Sehun nodded, unsure, but went to them anyway. Chanyeol sighed, tired, and followed Baekhyun into another room with two beds made of stacks of blankets and a few pillows. Next to them were some cheap tool boxes that were transformed into first aid kits with bottles of medicines and gauze and needles for stitching. 

“Are you like the doctor?” Chanyeol asked. 

“Sort of,” Baekhyun answered, motioning for Chanyeol to sit on one of the beds, “I was in med school when the breakout happened, so I’m the most qualified for the job.” 

Chanyeol nodded as Baekhyun sat next to the bed on a pillow and propped out Chanyeol’s injured leg.

“I need to put pressure on it, okay? It might hurt a bit,” Baekhyun said, his voice soft and soothing, almost luring Chanyeol to sleep. 

“Okay,” he whispered, clenching his teeth together.

Baekhyun started at the top of his shin and felt his way down, Chanyeol balling his hands into fists the entire time. 

“Ah-” Chanyeol exclaimed and Baekhyun was finishing. 

“It’s alright,” Baekhyun reassured, “You didn’t break anything, you probably just pulled a muscle.” 

Chanyeol sighed in relief, letting his head fall back on the cement wall while Baekhyun wrapped gauze around his leg. 

“You shouldn’t be moving around too much though,” he told him, extending his hand to help Chanyeol up, “If you want it to heal fast, that is.” 

Chanyeol smiled, “Thank you.” 

“No problem,” Baekhyun replied, returning the smile, “You hungry? I think Heechul might have made something for your friends.”

Chanyeol nodded and limped after Baekhyun, who led him back into the main room. There was a fire going in the middle, which Chanyeol thought was suspicious, but it was cold out and his jacket wasn’t keeping him completely warm. It was in this moment he realized how numb his fingers and toes were. He was shivering slightly and crossed his arms over his chest, trying to make himself smaller.

He spotted Jonghyun and Junmyeon sitting solemnly on some blankets next to the fire, but away from the strangers. When Chanyeol went to approach them, he noticed another fire burning in the next room over. Then came the heavenly scent of home cooked soup. 

Chanyeol tried to lean over and look into the room when a man came speed-walking out of it, a bowl of soup clasped tightly in his hands. The man had shoulder length wavy hair and a handsome face that reeked of confidence, yet he looked annoyed.   
The man stopped in front of Hani, who was sitting next to Hyejin and Solar making small talk. She looked up, frazzled as the man shoved the bowl of soup into her hands and slapped a rusty spoon on the blanket they were sitting on. Chanyeol saw Hyejin roll her eyes. 

“Eat,” the man commanded, his arms crossed over his chest as if he was awaiting an answer of some sort. 

“Come on, Heechul,” a voice sounded from next to Chanyeol. Another man had just walked out of the room. He was lean, but muscular and had very nice cheekbones, if Chanyeol did say so himself. 

“You’re scaring her,” the man continued, resting a hand on the soup-man’s shoulder and pulling him back from the teenager. 

Hani nodded her head in thanks and picked the spoon up off the carpet. She dipped it into the soup and picked up a spoonful of what appeared to be potatoes. 

Baekhyun pulled Chanyeol down on a blanket and leaned into to him, whispering, “That’s Heechul. He’s our head cook. Well, that’s what he wants us to title him as.”

Chanyeol nodded, eyes trained on Hani’s food, his mouth starting to water. She put the spoon in her mouth and perked up, surprised. Her eyes widened and she blinked a few times, chewing slowly. 

“What the hell is that!” Heechul screeched, pointing at Hani’s expression.

The girl turned to him, drawing back from his outburst. 

“Heechul-,” the other guy attempted, trying to pull him back further. 

“You don’t like my food!” Heechul claimed, “We brought you in here are you react like that to my hospitality!”

Hani swallowed hard while tears began to form in her eyes. Hyejin and Solar both opened their mouths to speak. Hani got there first. 

“No, not at all,” her voice was shaky, “I just haven’t had good soup in a really long time.”

Chanyeol knew what she was talking about. Taeyeon tried to make soup when he had been over on many occasions, but she could never get it quite right with what they had on the farm. 

“I’m not buying it,” Heechul said in a threatening tone. 

Baekhyun sighed and leaned back away from Chanyeol, “He has one hell of a temper. Donghae always has to calm him down.” 

The other man, who Chanyeol assumed was Donghae, grabbed Heechul’s wrist and tugged him toward the back wall. He stopped briefly and looked at Chanyeol. 

“I’ll be back with a bowl for you in a second,” he sighed. 

Chanyeol nodded and watched as Donghae talked in a hushed voice, trying to calm the insane man in front of him. Baekhyun chuckled. 

“We have an odd crew,” he said. 

“So that guy is Donghae?” Chanyeol asked, pointing in said man’s direction. 

Baekhyun nodded, “Yep.” 

Chanyeol was grateful for the boy sitting next to him. And not only because he wrapped his leg in gauze. Baekhyun had this warmth to him. His voice was alive; it reminded him of the easier days. The days before everything went to shit. His eyes were bright and hopeful. Chanyeol envied him, and that envy made him feel real. It made him feel human. 

Suddenly, Chanyeol snapped out of his daze when a new warmth sat beside him. He looked over to see that Sehun had joined him. His eyes were puffy and it was obvious he had been crying. Chanyeol scooted closer and noticed that Yoongi had come back to sit next to Hani. 

Solar cleared her voice and stood up. 

“It’s about time I learned our newcomers’ names,” she said, appearing leaderlike. She looked right at Chanyeol, expecting him to start with the introductions. 

He coughed and started, “I’m Chanyeol.” 

Solar stared, “That’s it?”

“Yeah.”

Solar huffed, “Alright, what about you?” She turned to look at Sehun. 

“Sehun,” he said, voice slightly cracking. Chanyeol laid an arm around his waist. 

“Well you’re a lively bunch.” 

“Solar, they just escaped an attack,” Hyejin said, getting up to meet the older woman. “And they didn’t all make it out alive,” she whispered quite audibly. 

Something about what Hyejin said struck a nerve in Solar and she visibly got smaller, but curiosity didn’t have time to plant itself because a knock just like the one Baekhyun gave was heard from the door. 

“Oh, it sounds like they’re back!” a young boy sitting on a blanket next to Junmyeon and Jonghyun said. 

His words cause Donghae to gasp from behind him and Heechul stopped complaining too. Hyejin opened to door cautiously and smiled at whoever was behind it. When she opened the door all the way, a small group of people came walking through, all of them looked incredibly tired. 

Donghae ran to the man at the front of the group and wrapped his arms around his neck, leaning in to kiss him lovingly. The man he was kissing had a bow wrapped around his back and a pistol stashed in a holster on his waist. He sneaked his arms around Donghae and hugged him closer. Chanyeol envied them. 

When they pulled away, the man whispered something to a boy next to him and he went over to Solar. 

“When we were coming back from patrolling, we saw another person,” he said in a hushed voice. His eyes fell on the newcomers. 

Chanyeol felt Baekhyun lean in to hear better. 

Solar nodded, “Go on, Hoseok.” 

“They were acting suspicious, running around. We followed them for a while and it looked like they were mapping the place, but I swear I could have seen something flashing in his bag.”

“Are you sure they weren’t just trying to get used to their surroundings. Maybe they just got here,” Hyejin said. 

“I mean, I suppose,” Hoseok sighed, scratching the back of his neck, “You know how I get.” 

“We can get a group to go look for them tomorrow morning,” Solar decided. 

The man with the high cheekbones who had met the group at the van shuffled his feet a bit, looking down at the ground solemnly. Chanyeol took note of his behavior, curious, but too tired to ask about it.

“Anyway,” Donghae interrupted, “We have some newcomers.” 

He went to bring his boyfriend around the fire to introduce him to the new additions to their group. Donghae looked proud, as if the introductions were really just meant for him to show off the fairly muscular man he had his arm hooked around. 

“Those are the hunters,” Baekhyun said, motioning toward the group. 

Chanyeol nodded; it was harder to keep his eyes open at this point. The group had only gotten a few hours of sleep in the van and the sky wasn’t showing any signs of lightening any time soon. Baekhyun seemed to notice. 

“Why don’t we go to bed?” he suggested, laying a hand on Chanyeol’s shoulder. 

When Chanyeol looked over at the other boy, he met gentle, caring eyes. Baekhyun’s touch was genuine. It was something Chanyeol hadn’t felt in a long time. He sniffled a bit, obviously still cold, and nodded. 

“Sehun,” he called to his friend. 

The younger turned to face him. He looked less afraid now that he was with a larger group now that he was away from immediate danger. 

“I’m going to sleep.”

“Sleep well,” he said simply. 

Baekhyun led Chanyeol up some stairs and into a long hallway lined with doors. They entered the first room on the right, which Chanyeol assumed was Baekhyun’s. A sleeping bag was rolled out on the ground and a dirty pillow lay next to it. Chanyeol wondered how long they’d been in this building. 

“Wait here,” Baekhyun said, “I’ll go get another sleeping bag.”

When the boy had left the room, Chanyeol took another look around. There was a lantern placed next to Baekhyun’s bed along with a box of matches and a canister for trash. Chanyeol bent down to light it, mesmerized by the fire. He must have been really drowsy. 

The floors were dusty, but there wasn’t any cracking or breaking in the walls and the windows looked untouched. It felt safe in here.

Baekhyun returned after only a minute with a black sleeping bag and another pillow. 

“It isn’t much, but it’s better than nothing,” he said, setting the sleeping bag on the floor and unrolling it. Chanyeol went to help him, taking the pillow out of his arms and setting it at the top of the bed. 

“Thank you,” he said in a hushed, tired voice. A slight smile crept over his face, Baekhyun returning it without hesitation. 

“Good night, Chanyeol.” 

“Good night, Baekhyun.”

Chanyeol crawled into his sleeping bag, finding it was too small for his long legs. He took off his jacket and used it as a makeshift blanket, wrapping it over his shoulders for extra warmth. He heard Baekhyun blow out the lantern. Turning on his side, Chanyeol let his eyes finally close, hoping his dreams wouldn’t be filled with nightmares of his best friend.


End file.
